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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Twinsie Tuesday is all about pushing our members outside of our comfort zones and getting us to try things we otherwise may never attempt, so it's only fitting that this week's theme asked us to try "something new." This could be a new brand, technique, color--anything, so long as you've never tried it before!

I have to admit, I didn't push myself out of my comfort zone for this one, but I ran out of nail polish remover right before I did my TT mani yesterday, so I was a bit limited in what I felt confident attempting. For my something new, I opted to try a new (for me, at least) brand of nail decals: L'Oreal's Nail Lingerie in the design called Gellie Drops. This adorable design, part of the limited edition Miss Candy Collection, will make you nails look good enough to eat, mimicking the candy swirl seen in peppermints and lollipops. So cute!

The decals themselves have a clear base with a white swirl on top, so for my polish base, I used OPI Too Hot Pink To Hold 'Em, a warm-toned pink jelly from the Texas Collection. The decals themselves were easy enough to use; just peel and place. I had a little trouble with some of them creasing around the tips, but other than that, no issues. I looked everywhere for these decals (you know how limited edition drugstore collections can be so frustratingly elusive sometimes) but they were worth the trouble. I absolutely love the effect they create!

I'm looking forward to seeing what my fellow Twinsies chose for their "something new." What was the last new thing you tried--whether it was a new brand, technique or color--for your nails?

Monday, July 29, 2013

Hello everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts over the weekend. I was home visiting family for my mom's birthday. But I'm back today with some new make-up to share: two of Milani's adorable Coming Up Roses blushes!

I am a sucker for adorable make-up, so naturally I cannot resist blushes with a 3D rose design on them. I think Milani's products are generally good quality, but a lot of their packaging looks extremely dated to me, so I was happy to see them release some fun-looking new products. The presentation is the main draw here, but that doesn't count for much if the product itself doesn't deliver. Thankfully though, the blushes are actually quite nice! Of the four shades available, I picked up two: Bella Rosa, a petal pink and Flora Passion, a neutral coral. Both blushes are completely matte with no sheen or shimmer.

Bella Rosa

Flora Passion

L to R: Bella Rosa, Flora Passion

Bella Rossa is less pigmented and feels a bit more powdery than Flora Passion, but it still blends well and the color is very buildable. Flora Passion is a dream to work with and is a great shade of coral that is neither too warm or too cool, which should make it flattering on a variety of skintones and undertones. Flora Passion is my favorite of the two, but both are really lovely blushes and some of the most adorable drugstore make-up I have seen in a long time!

If you're looking for some great matte blushes or a fun budget beauty buy, definitely check these out! They retail for around six bucks each, depending on where you buy.

Have you picked up any of the Coming Up Roses blushes? What are some of your favorite Milani products? I like their baked eyeshadows and liquid liner!

Friday, July 26, 2013

I have featured many a water decal set from Born Pretty Store. They're one of my all-time favorite nail products--so fast, easy and absolutely gorgeous! They work just like a temporary tattoo. You just dunk them in water, peel off the backing, set it on your nail, seal with topcoat and ta-daaa! Instant nail art!

They come in a ton of different designs and when I saw this breathtaking Chinese painting set on their site, I knew I had to try it! They really outdid themselves this time with this fabulous, intricate design that turns your nails into miniature works of art. Just look at how beautiful this is!

This is a major contender for one of my all-time favorite manis! I could not stop staring at my nails! For my base, I used OPI My Vampire Is Buff, a creamy off-white that made the perfect canvas for these lovely decals. I seriously have to get a back-up of this polish because it is so stinkin' versatile!

Whether you're a nail art pro or artistically challenged like myself, I think you will 100% adore Born Pretty's water decals. I really cannot recommend them enough! They are so easy that anyone (even someone as woefully incompetent at nail art as I am) can use them and the manis you create with them are practically guaranteed to net you dozens of compliments! This set retails for just under three dollars, but the results look like a million bucks!

If you would like to purchase anything from Born Pretty, they offer a 10% off code for Nailed readers:

Disclosure: This product was sent to me for my honest review. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Are you on Instagram? Well guess what?! As of about 4:00 today, Nailed is too!

Click HERE or on the "View On Instagram" badge over in the right-hand column to go straight to my page! I am still getting the hang of Instagram (I feel so old) but I think it's going to be a lot of fun.See ya there! :) And a big shoutout to my girl Amanda for helping me set everything up!

My Ten Friends Dirtball is a brown jelly base with holographic turquoise glitter, brown glitter and silver holo microglitter. At first, Dirtball seems like a misnomer for such a lovely, glittery polish, but the name refers to planets, not the polish itself. :) It looks like a miniature galaxy on your nails! Most of My Ten Friends' polishes have an opaque enough base to wear them alone, but I tend to prefer them layered; makes the glitter "pop" more. This is one coat over OPI Suzi Loves Cowboys, a chocolate-colored creme.

The formula didn't give me any trouble, although I was a little bummed I couldn't fish out any of the large turquoise hexes that I could see glittering so beautifully inside the bottle. I am generally not a brown polish fan, but this one really won me over. Turquoise and brown may not seem like the most cohesive combination, but the two colors actually play off each other very well!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

I had been eagerly awaiting the launch of L'Oreal's newest foundation, Magic Nude Liquid Powder, from the moment I first heard about it back in early June. It just sounds like such a cool concept, promising a lightweight product that goes on as a liquid, then sets as a powder to deliver natural-looking coverage. So as soon as I spotted it in person, I snatched up a bottle to try. Maybe I got myself a bit too hyped up about this product but...well...things didn't really work out between us.

The Magic Nude Liquid Powder retails for about $13, depending on where you buy from. The bottle contains 0.91 oz, which is a bit less than most foundations. It comes in a glass bottle and the packaging looks attractive enough. My main gripe with the packaging though is that there is no pump, so it's difficult to know or control how much product is coming out, especially when you have a product like this that has a consistency similar to water.

You do need to be on the cautious side when applying, because as I mentioned, the consistency is thin and runny--a lot like water, really--so it's easy to pour out waaaayyyy too much. Lesson learned: Dabbing a few drops onto your finger, rather than tipping the bottle over into your hand, will save you a lot of grief--not to mention product. The bottle recommends applying this with fingers, instead of a brush or sponge, so that's what I did. I tried out the second lightest shade, Classic Ivory (312), and I can say that this line definitely runs dark. I'm on the pale side of NW20 and I probably would have found the lightest shade in the line to be the best fit for my skin.

As you can see, aside from the questionable color match on me, it does blend out to a pretty natural-looking, semi-matte finish. However, before it set, it felt kind of strange. It was oddly heavy for a product with such a thin texture and it felt maybe even a little greasy. It's not really something that you can layer, either. Anytime I tried to, it wound up just rubbing off what I'd already put on--so this seems to be designed for someone who doesn't want or need a lot of coverage. It gives you just enough to even things out, but it does not cover like a traditional foundation and it won't cover any blemishes or dark spots. I dusted some powder on top for some added coverage and to set everything, then off I went.

But before too long, I began to feel that dreaded greasy, shiny feeling coming back. I have oily skin and by around the three-hour mark, my foundation had noticeably separated and faded in some areas. I blotted things down, hoping to get it to last through the day, but with no luck. By around hour five, it felt so greasy and looked so separated that I was ready for it to come off. Even with my favorite primers, I could not get this to last more than a few hours on me. This was one of those products that gave me that "OMG-the-first-thing-I'm-doing-when-I-get-home-is-wiping-this-off-immediately" feeling. Yuck!

I've seen some reviewers that seem to really like this, but I just could not get it to work for me. It's an extremely intriguing concept, but I think the formula needs some work. If you're looking for an affordable foundation with excellent staying power, even in the summer heat, I cannot say enough good things about Covergirl's Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation!

Have you tried the Magic Nude Liquid Powder? Did you dislike it as much as I did or were you able to make it work? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme once again had me doing something I've never attempted: a splatter mani. I opted to have a little fun with this one and do a "blood splatter" mani as a tribute to one of my favorite guilty pleasures: the HBO show True Blood! This season has been all over the place in terms of quality (Don't even get me started on all of the completely unnecessary side plots and the WTF ending of the latest episode) but I like that the show doesn't take itself too seriously and isn't afraid to really camp it up.

For my base, I used OPI My Vampire Is Buff. It's a beautiful off white shade and, given the name, right on theme for my True Blood mani--gotta throw in a nod to the show's man candy. ;) Then I used Deborah Lippmann Let It Bleed, from her True Blood collab, to make my blood splatters with. I designated my right hand as my practice hand and ironically enough, I think it actually turned out better than my left hand, where I was really trying. So I'm going to do something I hardly ever do: show you a picture of my right hand. I am really sorry for the terribly awkward position my hand is in. It felt sooooo weird trying to take swatches of my right hand!

I think the hardest part for me was trying to aim the splatter so it went on my nails and getting it to really splatter, rather than just come off the straw in big globs, which is kind of what happened with my right hand. So while my splatter mani may not be perfect, overall it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be--and it's a rare occasion when I can say that about nail art!

Are you a True Blood fan? Have you ever tried a splatter mani? And don't forget to see how my fellow Twinsies' splatter manis turned out today too!

Monday, July 22, 2013

In addition to polish, comics are another big passion in my life. I will confess that I'm more of a Marvel lady, but Batman is still one of my favorite superheroes and really the only DC character that I read a ton of. One of my favorite Batman villains since I watched the cartoon as a kid is Poison Ivy--because really, what little girl wouldn't want to be this fierce bitch?

Poison Ivy, a.k.a. Dr. Pamela Isley, can control plants, produce mind-controlling pheromones--and, oh yeah, her kiss is literally toxic. Hence the inspiration for the name Ivy's Kiss. Being a huge fan of green, glitter, Rainbow Honey and Batman, I had to have this one!

Ivy's Kiss is a rich green jelly base filled with emerald and chartreuse glitters and shimmers as intoxicating as Ivy herself. Would it be hyperbole to say this is one of my all-time favorite Rainbow Honey polishes? Because it's definitely worthy of the title!

Just look how lush that emerald green base is! *drools* Give me a rich, glittery green and I am in polish heaven! Ivy's Kiss has a jelly base, but it is still quite opaque. This is just two coats!

Ivy's Kiss was an exclusive limited edition polish on Rainbow Honey's website for the month of May, so sadly it is now sold out. I didn't order this until the very last day of May, so by the time it got to me in early June, it was already gone. :( But they've brought back some of their monthly polishes before, so here's hoping we'll see more of Ivy in the future! I'd love to see this (and Bubble Beam, the April exclusive polish) added to RH's permanent line!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

I've swatched Lynnderella Evermore once before on here for one of the Twinsie Tuesday posts, but I was never super happy with how those swatches turned out, so I figured she was due for some extra love this weekend. Evermore is a clear base with black glitter pieces in all shapes--everything from hexes to squares to circles to hearts to diamonds--and sizes, plus sprinklings of teal and magenta microglitter. This is a truly unique polish. I can't think of anything else like it! This is two coats of OPI Pink Friday.

Lynn designed this polish to mimic the look of an ink blot test and I think she totally nailed--avoiding a terribly obvious pun here--that effect. I wore this polish over white last time and while I think I prefer that combo over the pink pairing I did here, the layering possibilities for this polish are pretty limitless. I'd like to try it over a neon yellow next!

Friday, July 19, 2013

I'm something of a closet sci-fi geek, so when Tiffany from Comet Vomit introduced me to her brand, I was instantly hooked! I can't resist a good intergalactic polish! :) One of the things I love about indie polish is how the creators' personalities and passions shine through in their work and Comet Vomit has that great combination of beautiful polish with a quirky inspiration behind it.

Galactose Intolerant is a pearly white base filled with a rainbow of matte glitters in a variety of shapes and sizes. This is three coats.

Love In Alderaan Places (great name!) is a pearly pink with pink and purple hex glitter, matte white squares and multi-colored hearts. It's so girly and sweet-looking. Sure to bring out the space princess in all of us. :) This is two coats over OPI Pink Friday.

Nebula? I Just Met Ya! is a deep, red-based purple filled with shimmering glitters in teal, blue, black, white and pink. Usually when you see a multi-colored glitter like this, it's in a light or black base, but I think the effect is equally beautiful against Nebula's rich purple. This may be my favorite of three polishes I tried, although it's a tough pick. This is three coats.

Tiffany also sent me a Big Balm Theory Lip Balm to review! This clear balm has a sweet mint flavor and gives off a gentle cooling sensation on the lips. If you like Burt's Bees, I felt this balm performed just as well--if not better--at half the price ($3.00). It's made by hand with organic beeswax, cocoa butter and essential oils to provide nourishment and moisture. I really like the feel and texture of this balm! It's not too greasy and spreads effortlessly across the lips. The packaging also features some gorgeous pictures from the Hubble Telescope! Very cool!

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Confession: I went through a rather unfortunate punk/pseudo-goth phase in middle and high school. I still have a slew of Clash and Sex Pistols T-shirts in my closet to prove it. While I may have ditched the dog collars, I kept the music, so the idea of paying homage to my inner rock chick but avoiding the unfortunate fashion choices is definitely an appealing one. Enter Deborah Lippmann's Punk Rock Collection! The collection features three new polishes, all with a textured finish and Deborah's trademark song-inspired names.

L to R: I Wanna Be Sedated, Pretty Vacant, I Fought The Law

I think all three look awesome! They'd be a ton of fun for a skittles mani. I can tell now that I Wanna Be Sedated is going to be one of those love or hate kind of shades. I can't quite decide how I feel about non-sparkly textured polishes, so the verdict's still out for me on the first two but I Fought The Law definitely seems like something I'd wear.

These are already available on the Nordstrom and Deborah Lippmann websites. Will you be rocking out with any of these shades?

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

But if you're looking to get your chocolate kick without all of those pesky calories, why not check out a face mask made with rich, chocolately goodness? Lush's Cupcake Fresh Face Mask is a luxurious treat designed to cleanse and clarify oily skin. I've tried a few other masks from Lush and this one is my favorite so far! Cupcake contains Rhassoul mud to cleanse and de-grease, cocoa butter to soften the skin and fresh mint to act as an antiseptic. The mask smells just like chocolate cupcake batter, except with a mint kick. I love the scent!

While sweating up a storm at both a baseball game and an outdoor concert last weekend, I was afraid I'd be greeted by a big breakout at the start of the week. So in addition to keeping at my regular routine with my Lush Herbalism cleanser (which is still working great, by the way--no real breakouts since I started using it!), I popped on a Cupcake mask as soon as I got home from my adventure, to help get all the gunk and grime out of my pores.

This is typically how I use Cupcake: as a "booster" for when I feel things might be starting to go south with my skin. It's great for warding off acne and giving your skin some gentle but effective exfoliation. Plus the cool temperature of the mask when it's straight from the fridge feels amazingly refreshing on a hot summer day! Once the mask is on, you can really feel it going to work, although I didn't find that it stung like some deep cleansing masks do. There's a bit of a tingle, but the sensation fades fairly quick. After about 5-10 minutes, I step in the shower to wash it all off and do a little scrubbing action with the remnants of the mask for some mild surface exfoliation. Afterwards, Cupcake leaves my face feeling clean, fresh and beautifully smooth.

You probably shouldn't use this mask more than two or three times a week, as using it on consecutive days will likely prove too much for acne-prone skin. A single pot costs $6.95 and you can get about six to eight masks per pot, depending on how thickly you apply them, so it really is a great value. The masks need to be refrigerated because they contain fresh ingredients with no preservatives, so the only place you can buy them is in-store. The masks have a shelf life of three weeks, but personally I just treat them like food: So long as you store them properly and check for changes in scent and consistency, you can get away with using them a bit longer than the official shelf life.

Have you tried Cupcake? What are some of your favorite face masks--Lush or otherwise?

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

This week's Twinsie Tuesday theme is a manicure inspired by Disney! I batted a couple ideas around in my head, but ultimately I figured this was as a good a time as any to bust out one of the crown jewels of my collection: OPI Absolutely Alice from the Alice In Wonderland Collection!

Alice In Wonderland is one of my favorite Disney movies and there was a live action version on the Disney Channel that I remember being obsessed with as a kid too. Please tell me someone else remembers this show?! Sadly it does not seem Disney has ever released the show on DVD, but here is a little taste with the show's intro. WARNING: MAJOR 90s AWESOMENESS AHEAD.

Sorry, I took a little nostalgia detour there! Now back to the polish! Absolutely Alice is a blue and yellow glitterbomb that brings to mind two of Alice's trademarks from Disney's film adaptation: her blue dress and golden blonde hair. I really wish OPI would bring this back for some kind of retro collection, because if you ask me, it really is one of the prettiest polishes they've ever made!

*sigh* Isn't she lovely? That blue base is so amazingly rich and the yellow gives it some extra twinkle! I used three coats here. I can't wait to see what some of the artists in our group came up with, but this is just my little glittery tribute to one of my favorite Disney films/shows. :)

Sunday, July 14, 2013

Previews of Zoya's newest round of PixieDust polishes have been circulating on the web for a while now, but that's not all the brand has in store for us this fall! Two new fall collections have recently popped up on Zoya's website and as usual, they are divided into cremes ("Cashmeres") and shimmers ("Satins").

Let's check out the Cashmeres first!

Pepper

Flynn

Louise

Hunter

Sailor

Livingston

And then we have the Satins...

Channing

Mason

Claudine

Neve

Giovanna

Maria-Luisa

I'm loving some of these colors! I can already tell you that I have to get my hands on Giovanna and Hunter! Which ones are calling your name? And as always, feel free to join me for some obligatory "When will Zoya name a polish after me?!" moaning in the comments section. ;)